I can’t believe our year-long reading challenge is already over. Lesbian Book Bingo made my year so much fun—and I think it did the same for many readers of lesbian and f/f fiction.
According to the feedback I got, what readers loved most about Lesbian Book Bingo was that it forced them to read outside of their comfort zone and pick books from genres that they don’t normally read. Many readers were surprised to discover that they actually enjoyed those genres. Others appreciated that they discovered new authors through Book Bingo instead of sticking to their established favorites.
A BIG THANK-YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED
Book Bingo was a huge endeavor, and I couldn’t have done it alone.
I’d like to thank all the participating authors and publishers who contributed books for the giveaways—among them Bold Strokes Books, Bella Books, Ylva Publishing, Bedazzled Ink, Desert Palm Press, Intaglio Publications, Regal Crest, Bywater Books, Sapphire Books, Affinity, and many indie authors.
Thanks so much to my friends Christiane, Anne, Melanie, and many others, who brainstormed books for each square with me, and to Trish, who spent many hours putting together the list of books people read for Book Bingo.
A big thank-you also goes to The Lesbian Review Book Club, T.B. Markinson from I Heart Lesfic, Harper Bliss & Caroline Manchoulas from MyLesfic, and everyone else who helped promote Lesbian Book Bingo.
Last but most importantly, I’d like to thank the readers who participated and left comments on this blog.
LESBIAN BOOK BINGO STATS
Before I reveal the winners of the grand drawing, I’d like to share a few stats about Lesbian Book Bingo.
- About 1,000 readers participated in Lesbian Book Bingo (not everyone sent in their cards, but many used the suggested reading lists to find reading material—that’s totally okay too).
- 278 bingo cards were completed, with all squares filled out.
- 7,115 books were read for Lesbian Book Bingo. Very likely, it was more, but that’s the official count from the cards that were sent in.
- Three readers managed to complete 10 or more bingo cards. One reader sent in 17 cards, with 419 lesbian and f/f books read this year! You can read the interview with the readers who read the most books here.
- The most popular bingo categories were: woman in uniform, fake relationship romance, doctors & veterinarians, friends to lovers romances, and age difference.
THE MOST-READ BOOKS FOR LESBIAN BOOK BINGO
I’m still compiling a list of the books people read for Book Bingo. I’ll post a list for each square tomorrow, including the top 10 for each category, so if you need more book recommendations in your favorite categories, check back tomorrow.
AND THE WINNERS ARE…
Every completed bingo card was put into the drawing, and this morning, I randomly drew the three winners of the grand prize.
Winner #1 is Mindy M. She wins 25 e-books and a fun surprise package. Among other things, there’ll be yummy German chocolate and signed copies of my novels Something in the Wine, Heart Trouble, and Conflict of Interest.
Winner #2 is Alison R. She wins 25 e-books.
Winner #3 is Mary O. She wins 25 e-books.
I’ll be in touch with the winners later today.
WILL THERE BE A BOOK BINGO IN 2019?
I spent a total of 400+ hours on Book Bingo this year, so I’ll need a little break next year before I will run it again.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be a Book Bingo next year, though. A reader who participated this year is putting together her own version of Lesbian Book Bingo in 2019, with a new bingo card with fun squares! Check out Maggie’s Lesbian Book Bingo here.
MY PLANS FOR 2019
I still want to do something fun for lesfic readers in 2019, so I’ll host a series of author interviews. To make it more interesting for you, each one will include a giveaway, a free ebook, or a discounted book. I already have 25 great authors lined up, including Radclyffe, Georgia Beers, Gerri Hill, Melissa Brayden, Lynn Ames, Carsen Taite, and many more.
Subscribe to this blog so you’ll get each interview & giveaway delivered directly to your in-box.
Thanks again for participating in Lesbian Book Bingo, and have a wonderful 2019!
Jae
What a tremendous effort! You’ve completely smashed Book Bingo with your tireless effort. From one reader, thank you!!
Thanks for all your hard work with the book bingo! I really loved it although I only completed and sent in 1 card I am sure I could have filled in more as I have definitely read a lot more this year than any other year. Thanks again
Thank you for running this wonderful event! And congratulations to the winners!
Even though I didn’t get my card turned in, this was such fun. And exactly like you said, it got me reading outside my comfort zone by reading new genres and new authors. Loved the experience Jae. Thank you
I also read more this year than I have in years. I think I have Book Bingo large in part to thank for that.
Thanks so much for all your hard work on this – I was honored to participate and I Had fun reading a lot of great books this year!
Thank you so much!! This was absolutely awesome!
Thank you so much. This was absolutely awesome!😁
Congratulations to all the winners! Lesbian Book Bingo was a hell of a lot of fun to participate in!
Thank you for a fantastic year of reading wonderful books,
Thanks Jae ( and all of the other great authors), for such a fun exercise in reading. Have a Happy New Year!
Thank you for your hard work running this year-long event! Found it challenging but very rewarding when I completed 1 card. Definitely discovered new-to-me authors from this exercise. Happy New Year!
Thank you for all the hard work. Reading was so much fun this year. Happy new year!
Thanks for the effort and care poured into this proyect! It was so great to have this challenge in 2018, I read some genres I don’t usually favor and that resulted in some pleasant surprises.
Thank you Jae! I won by playing and finishing my Bingo card.
WOw, I just posted on your Facebook site how much fun this was to do. Thank You for creating a great project!
Thank you Jae. I completed one card (never sent it in), started a second but got so distracted reading suggested books and when looking for those found others suggested by Amazon. I’ve found some new authors, some great books, and complied a long list of more authors and books to read. It’s been fun.
I really loved playing. I found so many new authors! I completed 5 cards, but sadly one was filled with books I tried and wished I hadn’t! Still, that means I completed 4 cards with books I was glad to read, and probably 20 authors I liked that I wouldn’t have found otherwise! Thanks, Jae!
Once I complete the book I’m on, I will have completed two cards this year. Even though I didn’t get them submitted, I’m still really proud, because in previous years, I’ve read very little lesfic. Thanks, Jae, for all the work you did on this, and, just so you know, it does make a difference!
Is there a typo in the numbers somewhere? If one reader alone read 419 books to complete 17 cards, how can the total number of different books read be only 115?
Oh yeah, that’s definitely a typo! It was 7,115 books read for Book Bingo! I just corrected it in the post.
This was one of the highlights of the year for me. Thanks for putting all those hours into it!
Thank you Jae,
I really enjoyed Lesbian Book Bingo even though I did not send in my card. I will keep playing next year to challenge myself. Have a productive new year.
Thanks for putting so much time and energy into this. I am among those that didn’t get a card turned in. I have however used the suggested reading list countless times to find books. Are you going to leave the links up for a while for continued use?
Again. Thanks for all of the great suggestions.
Happy New Year a
That’s a whole lotta reading going on. Congratulations to everyone that had fun, to those that won, and the person that pulled it all off, JAE
Thanks to all for making this such a success, especially you, Jae! Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for doing this. I had a lot of fun reading some of the recommended books and always looked forward to the new suggestions.
Jae, what a huge undertaking! As one of the authors you invited to participate, I want to thank you (and your helpers) for all of the hours of work and time you put into Lesbian Book Bingo in 2018.